ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration today announced that federal inspectors issued 190 citations and eight orders during special impact inspections conducted at 15 coal mines and three metal and nonmetal mines in July.

The monthly inspections, which began in force in April 2010 following the explosion at the Upper Big Branch Mine, involve mines that merit increased agency attention and enforcement due to their poor compliance history or particular compliance concerns.

ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration announced today that it has allocated $8,348,423 in health and safety training grants for 46 states and the Navajo Nation in fiscal year 2014.

ARLINGTON, Va. — Doe Run Co.'s "Maroon Team" from Viburnum, Missouri, won the 2014 National Metal and Nonmetal Mine Rescue Contest held Aug. 4-7 in Lexington, Kentucky. FMC Minerals' "Red Team" from Green River, Wyoming, and the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant's "WIPP Red Team" from Carlsbad, New Mexico, rounded out the top three.

ARLINGTON, Va. — Implementation of the landmark regulation aimed at preventing black lung disease begins on Aug. 1, according to the U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration.

ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration announced today it will publish a proposed rule that would amend its existing civil penalty regulations by simplifying the criteria for assessing health and safety violations and increasing emphasis on more serious safety and health conditions, thus providing improved safety and health for miners. The proposed rule will be published in the Federal Register on July 31.

ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration today released a mid-year summary of mining deaths across the country. During the first half of 2014, 22 miners were killed in accidents in the mining industry. The toll represents an increase in the mid-year fatality count and reverses a decline in fatal accidents seen in recent years.

ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration today announced that federal inspectors issued 186 citations, 25 orders and one safeguard during special impact inspections conducted at 11 coal mines and two metal and nonmetal mines in June.

Violations exposed miners to black lung, explosion hazards

ARLINGTON, Va. — An impact inspection at the Rhino Eastern LLC's Eagle Mine 3 in Wyoming County, West Virginia, found conditions that put miners at risk of developing black lung disease and that increased the potential for deadly explosions, underscoring the importance of mine safety vigilance and the need for continued improvements in controlling coal dust.

Violations exposed miners to black lung, explosion hazards

ARLINGTON, Va. — An impact inspection at the Rhino Eastern LLC's Eagle Mine 3 in Wyoming County, West Virginia, found conditions that put miners at risk of developing black lung disease and that increased the potential for deadly explosions, underscoring the importance of mine safety vigilance and the need for continued improvements in controlling coal dust.

ARLINGTON, Va. — Although improvements in roof control technology have led to a significant decrease in accidents related to roof and rib (wall) falls, such accidents are still a leading cause of injuries in underground coal mines, according to the U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration.

ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration today announced that federal inspectors issued 172 citations, 21 orders and two safeguards during special impact inspections conducted at 10 coal mines and two metal and nonmetal mines in May.

ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration today announced that federal inspectors issued 147 citations and 15 orders during special impact inspections conducted at 12 coal mines and four metal and nonmetal mines in April.

ARLINGTON, Va. — In the wake of two mine stakeholder safety summits held in less than four weeks, the U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration announced today it is stepping up efforts even further to counteract the recent spike in mining deaths.

ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration today released a summary of U.S. mining deaths that occurred during the first quarter of 2014. From Jan. 1 to March 31, eight miners died in accidents in the U.S. mining industry. Three were killed in coal mining accidents and five in metal and nonmetal mining accidents. The previous quarter was marked by 15 deaths and an increase in the metal and nonmetal sector.

ARLINGTON, Va. — As part of its efforts to assure smooth implementation of the new coal mine respirable dust rule, the U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration is forming a cooperative partnership with coal mine operators and miners.

ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration will convene a meeting of mine industry stakeholders in the wake of a dramatic increase in metal and nonmetal mining deaths. The meeting will address the causes of recent deaths, identify actions needed to prevent them and work to reverse the trend.

Since the beginning of this year, there have been nine fatalities in the metal and nonmetal sector. Nine of the 22 metal and nonmetal deaths that occurred in 2013 happened in the fourth quarter.

ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration today announced that federal inspectors issued 152 citations, 14 orders and one safeguard during special impact inspections conducted at 10 coal mines and three metal and nonmetal mines in March.

ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration today announced the release of a final rule to lower miners' exposure to respirable coal mine dust in all underground and surface coal mines. The final rule continues the department's efforts through its End Black Lung — Act Now! initiative to end black lung disease, a debilitating illness that continues to affect coal miners and their families.

ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration today released preliminary data for calendar year 2013, updating the "Mine Safety and Health at a Glance" page. The charts include information on inspections; violations; number of mines and miners; and fatality and injury rates for coal, metal and nonmetal, and all mining.

ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration today issued a Program Information Bulletin reminding the mining community of the process for submitting a corrective action program for MSHA approval and the tools MSHA makes available to assist mine operators in monitoring compliance.